International Inequity Patterns in Youth and Young Adults Related to COVID-19: Advancing Sustainable Development Goals on Well-Being, Education, and Employment

COVID-19 has threatened physical and mental health and reduced overall wellbeing. Wellbeing has declined significantly since the pandemic, particularly within younger sub-populations aged 15-29. Past disasters and current crises indicate that decreased wellbeing can have serious long-term health, social, and financial effects for the individual and society. This is particularly concerning for younger people whose lives and livelihoods are developing. Research indicates that supports put in place at younger ages typically lead to multiple gains in growth and development. Our objective was to use a scoping review spanning 2020-2021 to map the patterns of international inequity on young people in terms of education, employment, and mental health. As educators, we note the special capacity within the United Nations sustainable development goals to address these challenges. With its inherent focus on wellbeing, the sustainable development goals framework can be used to guide the strategic processes to address wellbeing, especially in these vulnerable subpopulations. The review enabled us to identify preliminary steps for strategy development related to policy and for educators to consider in supporting youth and young adults. Many universities have established processes for advancing sustainable development goals. Educators’ expertise and capacity to effect change can be harnessed to improve mental health and wellbeing locally while contributing to longer-term sustainable development within society. The authors stated that wellbeing is a beacon for the future. Monitoring wellbeing and taking steps to address its decline, especially in the young, must be a priority as they are the future leaders of society. Youth and young adults will also bear the brunt of the economic and social burden due to the pandemic. By investing in the wellbeing of today’s youth and young adults there are opportunities to «pay it forward» so that better outcomes may be realized in the future

Advancing project and portfolio management research: Applying strategic management theories

This paper focuses on the application of strategic management theories to Project Management and Project Portfolio Management research, specifically the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities, and Absorptive Capacity. A literature review and four research experiences illustrate the advances achieved through the use of these three theoretical perspectives, and contribute to the development of this field by providing examples and guidance for theory development and future research. Commonalities between the research examples include a strong strategic focus, recognition of the importance of knowledge and learning, and research questions seeking understanding and explanation. These research experiences outline the successful application of strategic management theories to a wide range of contexts, using diverse methodologies at a variety of levels of analysis. The findings indicate a broad potential for further fruitful research stemming from the relatively recent application of strategic management theories to Project Management and Project Portfolio Management research. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. APM and IPMA

Looking again at current practice in project management

The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a survey designed to: capture the real world experiences of people active in project management (PM) in Australia, Canada and the UK; determine the extent to which those involved in the management of projects make use of the methods and techniques that are available; and discover how effective the methods and techniques are felt to be. A questionnaire comprising 24 questions with a mixture of yes/no, Likert-scale, multiple choice and open questions was developed. These were designed so that the data gathered could be compared with the results of a similar survey conducted in the UK a decade ago. Professional networks and direct e-mails were used to distribute the survey electronically to potential respondents who were actively involved in PM in the three countries. A total of 150 responses are used in the analysis, 50 from each country. The results show that there are many areas where the experiences, practices and views are similar across all three countries and are comparable to the earlier UK survey. However, as is often the case, it is perhaps the differences that are of most interest and these are commented upon throughout the paper. This paper sheds light on current practice across three countries and presents a useful historical perspective on PM trends in practice and rates of credentialization of those surveyed. It also provides useful quantitative results that can be used to more broadly speculate and make sense of other qualitative studies

An exploratory study of project success with tools, software and methods

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between project delivery success factors, project management tools, software, and methods